Catherine O'Hara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine O'Hara
|
|
|---|---|
O'Hara in 2005
|
|
| Born |
Catherine O'Hara
March 4, 1954 |
| Died | January 30, 2026 (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1974–2026 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mary Margaret O'Hara (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
Catherine O'Hara (born March 4, 1954 – died January 30, 2026) was a talented Canadian and American actress, comedian, and writer. Her amazing career lasted for over 50 years! She was known for her funny roles in sketch comedy and improvisational comedy. Later, she also took on serious acting parts. Catherine O'Hara won many important awards, like two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Catherine O'Hara first became famous on the comedy show SCTV (1976–1984). She even won an Emmy Award for her writing on the show! Many people know her from popular movies like Beetlejuice (1988), where she played Delia Deetz, and as Kate McCallister, the mom in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). She also lent her voice to many animated films, including Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chicken Little (2005), Over the Hedge (2006), Monster House (2006), and Elemental (2023).
More recently, she became very popular for playing Moira Rose in the TV show Schitt's Creek (2015–2020). For this role, she won another Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. She also appeared in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2018) and the recent Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie (2024).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Catherine O'Hara was born in Toronto, Canada, on March 4, 1954. She grew up there as one of seven children. Her family had Irish roots. She also had an older sister, Mary Margaret O'Hara, who is a musician and actress. Catherine finished school at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute in 1974.
A Career in Comedy and Film
Catherine began her comedy journey in 1974 at The Second City in Toronto. This was a famous comedy group. Later, she became a main performer on their TV show, SCTV (1976–1984). She also started doing voice-overs for cartoons around this time. This became a big part of her career. She briefly considered joining Saturday Night Live but decided to return to SCTV instead.
Her work on SCTV made her well-known in Canada and around the world. She also won an Emmy Award for her excellent writing on the show. Throughout her career, Catherine appeared in many other TV shows and movies. She even directed episodes of shows like Dream On and The Outer Limits.
Catherine also guest-starred in popular TV shows like Six Feet Under. In 2010, she received award nominations for her role in the TV film Temple Grandin.
Her film career was also very successful. She appeared in her first movie, Double Negative, in 1980. She played Delia Deetz in the spooky comedy Beetlejuice (1988). Many remember her as Kate McCallister, the mom in the hugely popular movies Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
Catherine also worked on special comedy films called mockumentaries with director Christopher Guest. These included Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003). She also voiced characters in many animated films. Some of these were Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Penny in Over the Hedge (2006), and Mrs. Walters in Monster House (2006). She also voiced characters in Frankenweenie (2012) and Elemental (2023). Her last voice role was Pinktail in The Wild Robot (2024).
.jpg)
From 2015 to 2020, Catherine O'Hara co-starred as Moira Rose in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek. She worked alongside her long-time friend Eugene Levy. Her performance in Schitt's Creek earned her many awards. These included a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.
She played Dr. Georgina Orwell in the first season of the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2018). She was the only actor from the 2004 movie version to return for the TV series. Catherine also reprised her role as Delia Deetz in the Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in 2024. In 2025, she had a main role in the Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio. She also guest-starred as Gail Lynden in the second season of the HBO drama series The Last of Us.
Personal Life
Catherine O'Hara met production designer Bo Welch while working on the movie Beetlejuice. They got married in 1992 and had two sons, Matthew and Luke. Her sister, Mary Margaret O'Hara, is a singer-songwriter. Catherine herself also wrote and performed songs for films like A Mighty Wind.
Catherine held citizenship in both Canada and the United States. She was honored with the Order of Canada in 2017. She was also named honorary mayor of Brentwood, Los Angeles in 2021. She remained good friends with her Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin. She was there when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Catherine O'Hara passed away after a short illness at her home in Los Angeles, on January 30, 2026, at the age of 71.
Images for kids
-
O'Hara at the SCTV Day Event in Toronto, 1995.
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Catherine O'Hara para niños
 | Emma Amos |
 | Edward Mitchell Bannister |
 | Larry D. Alexander |
 | Ernie Barnes |
